Q: What are some home design features that make sense for seniors? I’m 68 and researching these issues now. I’m sure there are many people in the same boat looking to downsize and simplify in an easy-living home.

A: When it comes to building or renovating a home for simple, easier, downsized living, I’ve seen a handful of features that make a lot of sense. The first is a flat bathroom layout. A tiled shower area with no lip at the entrance works well. Today’s best tiling products make it easy to custom-build a fully waterproof ceramic tile shower base that’s really just an extension of the floor. Walking into the shower is as easy as walking anywhere.

Another thing to consider is a small section of heated floor. Installing electric in-floor heating cables just in front of a couch or favourite sitting places isn’t expensive and doesn’t take much extra electricity. It’s the best way I know of to have warm feet during cold weather.

House size is another thing to consider. It’s very easy to fit everything one or two people need into a ground level floor plan of 700 square feet or less. Building a house like this with no basement is the simplest idea. Constructed on a concrete pad at ground level, makes it as simple as possible to walk in and out of the place.

This roof is insulated from above, allowing an open view of the rafters and solid wood roof boards. A layer of foam, wood and shingles sits on top.

Q: Can I put sheets of foam insulation on top of existing shingles on my cabin roof? I’ve seen your video about insulating open roofs from above, and I want to give it a try. My goal is to make my cabin cooler in summer as well as more easily heated in spring and fall.

A: Insulating cabin and cottage roofs from the top is a great way to preserve the view of roof boards from below. That said, I’d recommend against putting foam insulation on top of existing shingles. It might work out okay, but old shingles are usually pretty bumpy. I’d worry that the foam won’t sit properly. A better option is to tear the old shingles off, then add a layer of tar paper or ice and water shield to the roof right away. This will keep your cabin dry if it rains, while also providing a flat surface for the foam. A couple of inches of extruded polystyrene foam with half-inch plywood on top creates a perfect surface for new shingles. Drive screws down through the ply and foam into the underlying rafters to anchor it. The foam is dense enough to support the new roof sheathing without the need for strapping. Shingles on a roof like this will get very hot in summer, so be sure to use fiberglass shingles. Regular organic shingles will curl after a few years because of the heat. Watch me completing a top-of-roof insulation job at BaileyLineRoad.com/cabin-roof.

You mentioned your aim is to keep the cabin cooler in summer, and while insulation will definitely help, it won’t be enough. You also need a place for hot air to escape through the roof. An openable skylight or roof window makes a huge difference in the comfort of cabins in the summer, especially if you’ve got a sleeping loft.

Choosing thicker, wider boards is one way to find better quality lumber for decks. This 1 1/2â eastern white cedar is much more solid underfoot than thinner deck lumber.

Q: Where can I find good quality lumber for building outdoor deck stairs? I’m shocked at how knotty and bad the 5/4 decking, 4 x 4 posts, 2 x 4s are.

A: I’d first recommend against using 5/4 lumber for stairs. These measure one inch thick compared with one-and-a-half-inch thickness for regular construction lumber and that’s too thin. Board width is another issue. You’ll get better wood wider widths because big boards need to be cut from bigger, higher quality logs. Even if you need to saw the wider boards into narrower thicknesses, it’s worth it.

Steve Maxwell has been building, renovating and writing about it since 1988. Visit him online at BaileyLineRoad.com for articles, videos and to sign up for his free newsletter.

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